Phantom Gourmet brothers buy Mendon drive-in

From left, Susan Swanson and Kathy Gorman, co-owners of the Mendon Twin Drive-In, stand in the projection room. The women closed the sale of the drive-in on Friday.

MENDON — After almost 30 years of giving their heart and soul to the business, Mendon Twin Drive-In co-owners Susan L. Swanson and Kathy M. Gorman weren't going to sell to just anyone.

The Upton couple was concerned the wrong buyer would close it and develop the 16-acre property as happened with many of the drive-ins, or not love it as they did.

Then, after months of what new co-owner Michael R. Andelman called "soft courting" with Ms. Swanson to purchase it, the women turned over the keys Friday, closing the deal at Commerce Bank in Worcester.

Mr. Andelman said he and his two brothers, Dave and Dan, who are also behind the Phantom Gourmet brand, are just as passionate about the drive-ins as its former owners and loyal patrons are.

"We've owned it a whole 24 hours and we're still floating that we were able to get this done," he said. "We thought it was a crazy dream."

Exactly Ms. Swanson's sentiments when she drove by the drive-in's marquee with her sister Deborah L. Malo, who works in the ticket booth and saw it was for sale.

That was in 1986.

"Everyone in the family thought she was totally out of her mind," Ms. Malo said. "We thought, 'A drive-in? Who buys a drive-in?'"

Ms. Swanson's family helped her rebuild the business that was left in disrepair, Ms. Malo said.

Ms. Swanson, who grew up in Mendon and was known for her taco wagons that sold Mexican food, said she was raised going to the Mendon drive-in.

"It is a bittersweet time for us," Ms. Swanson said. "We have a lot of years and a lot of memories and made a lot of relationships."

Ms. Swanson said they received numerous offers from potential buyers over the years, but they chose the Andelman brothers because they felt they were the right people to carry out their dream. The couple met them about a decade ago and the drive-in's snack bar was featured on the Phantom Gourmet several times, she said.

"These are great guys and a great family, who love the business and want to carry on our legacy, which is a really good thing for our customers," Ms. Swanson said. "They are all about food and fun and they are passionate about the drive-in, too."

Since 1986 the couple has spent their summers, seven days a week, at the drive-in from 3 in the afternoon until 2:30 a.m.

Though they will help the Andelmans through the transition this summer, the couple said they were looking forward to spending some time on the beach with their dogs, Ruby and Maggie.

"It will be a different life for them now that they will not have mommy at the drive-in," Ms. Swanson said. "Kathy and I were hands-on our whole career. We didn't leave until the last car left the lot."

The drive-in's 39 employees will stay on, she said.

Mr. Andelman said a lot of people, including himself, have nostalgic feelings about the Mendon drive-in.

"It is the Fenway Park of drive-in theaters," he said. "There used to be 4,000 and there are only around 300 left in the country and this is one of the most beloved."

There are only two others in Massachusetts, in Leicester and on Cape Cod, he said.

Little will change this summer from what customers are used to, Mr. Andelman said, including keeping admission at only $25 a carload, but they plan to make some additions like staying open on the weekends in October for double-feature, classic horror movies like "Friday the 13th," "Halloween" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." People will also see the three Andelman brothers around a lot, he said.

"There is almost no activity that my grandfather and father did that I can take my son to," he said. "There are very few forms of entertainment that exist that we all could have done. I want to make sure my kids know what a drive-in is."

The Mendon drive-in opens April 9 for weekends only until Memorial Day, when it will be open seven days a week through summer.

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG.